LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has directed to formulate a climate change policy besides preparing a comprehensive report on the environmental situation across Punjab.

Chairing a meeting of the Punjab Environmental Protection Council at his office on Wednesday, the chief minister announced that an environment endowment fund would be set up to regularly monitor and determine the standard of air quality index and directed to constitute a committee for the purpose.

He said the identification of environment quality should be realistic and experts consulted to deal with climate change issues, as it was a sensitive matter and no leniency or negligence would be tolerated.

He also regretted that criminal negligence was shown in the past by ignoring climate challenges and trees were felled for creating a jumble of concrete structures, bridges and buildings. “We are facing the consequences now in the shape of smog and environmental pollution,” he regretted.

Mr Buzdar emphasised that the future generations would have to be provided with a neat and clean atmosphere and for that purposes every challenge needed to be met. He stressed that the Punjab Environmental Protection Council meetings would be held regularly.

Environmental experts and heads of different departments presented their proposals at the meeting.

Punjab Environment Minister Muhammad Rizwan, secretaries of environment, industries, planning and development, finance, irrigation, health and forest departments, representatives of WWF-Pakistan, Punjab University, UET Lahore and others attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2020